Where do we go from here?
by Kendal-Rose
Summary: This is my take on what happened after the episode in Bucharest :)
1. Chapter 1

Happy Thursday everyone… one more day until the weekend I've been thinking about the last episode for a while, so here's my take on what happens next! All replies and constructive criticism loved as usual. Kendal-Rose xx

"So where to now?" She uttered almost to herself, wrapping her dark coat more tightly around her waist. She stood outside the hospital, in the middle of Bucharest, wondering what on earth she was going to do now. She was all too aware of the young girl standing next to her, her respiratory rate much faster than it should have been.

Sophia shivered as she stood close to Connie, her heart felt like it was beating so fast within her chest. Her shoulder hurt, her face hurt, but most of all her heart hurt. Her heart hurt far more than anything else.

"Let's get you inside, I want to clean up that wound on your head," Connie nodded decisively at Sophia, "Don't give me any of this harder than English business, I won't take no for an answer."

Sophia nodded, trying desperately hard not to cry. Connie placed her hand gently between the younger women's shoulder blades, leading her gently into the hospital.

He watched as she cleaned the young girls face gently. For somebody who could come across so icy, she was incredibly gentle when she needed to be he thought to himself. He shook his head as he remembered how she had stood in front of Christian, despite the gun that he'd held boldly in his hand.

"Much better," she spoke quietly, aware the girl was almost asleep on the hospital bed, "Sleep tight," she smiled, sitting down onto the chair beside the bed and closing her eyes momentarily.

"What you did back there was incredibly stupid," a now all too familiar voice uttered into the dusky room, "Brave yes… but incredibly stupid,"

She looked up to see Alex standing in the door way, his stubble slightly longer than it had been this morning, his eyes tired,

"That's rich coming from you," she found herself replying without much thought, "I don't think you're the right person to comment on my behaviour," she uttered quietly,

"May I?" He gestured to the seat next to her and she shook her head, before standing up and walking over to him,

"She's sleeping, we can talk outside,"

He watched her closely as she leaned back against the hospital wall, purposefully avoiding his gaze. He stepped closer to her, his eyes running across her slender form, his hands clapping softly against his thighs as he shrugged, "Will you look at me Connie?" He asked her eventually, watching as she did as she asked. She found him attractive, that she would admit, but she couldn't help but feel like he'd betrayed her. He stepped closer to her, so close he was almost touching her, taking her back to last night. She shivered as she remembered just how he'd made her feel last night.

"I meant what I said earlier… about you staying here… helping us," he spoke quietly,

"That's not what we need to talk about," she uttered, "You know that,"

"Connie…"

She shook her head, "I came to you last night and you deliberately hid from me what I wanted to know…" She sighed, her voice quiet, her heart aching for a reason she herself wasn't too sure of, "I told you I thought he was getting his kidney removed, and you asked me if I was sure… well you knew I was correct Alex, you were the one due to remove it… I can't believe you were the one who was going to remove it,"

"How could I tell you Connie?" He replied quickly, placing his hand on her arm, his dark eyes and angry now, "How should I have told you? If I told you, you would have stopped me… Christian would have hurt them… and come for me… I can see you are stubborn, you wouldn't have listened to that, you would have barraged in and taken him home,"

"I just…" she uttered, somewhat lost for words, she shrugged tears springing to her eyes for the second time that day,

"I don't truly understand myself," he admitted, "But sometimes doing the wrong thing for somebody, is the right thing for someone else. Louis knew what he was doing, he knew what the risks were… he chose to go on that table, he was bought to me."

She shook her head, "I need to get Sophia and take her somewhere safe,"

"Do you know where you're going to go?" He asked, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently, surprised as she didn't pull away,

She looked up and shrugged, "Apart from Christian…I don't even know who I'm trying to keep her safe from…" She looked at the way he held her hand, so unapologetically, so firmly within his, "Of course I don't know where I'm going to go," she admitted, before shrugging, "I don't even know where I am here,"

He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, "I have an apartment just outside of the city; you and Sophia can go there when she's ready. I'll take you after my shift has ended,"

She shook her head, "I…"

"It's not like you have any other choice Connie," he told her gently, "Come on, come inside, I'll make you coffee."


	2. Chapter 2

Against her own judgement she found herself agreeing and following him down the hospital corridors into a small, hospital kitchen. "Forgive me… but I find it very hard to stop looking at you Connie," he told her as he poured two cups of coffee into clean mugs. He handed her a mug and shrugged, "For a woman so small and petite, you have such an aura about you,"

She smiled into her coffee, "You've already got me into bed Alex," she replied, a smile still on her lips, "You don't need to…" She was cut off by the all too welcome invasion of his lips against her own. He tasted of coffee and she kissed him back, her own lips pressing against his firmly. He lifted her so she sat on the work top, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist, his hands slipped underneath her shirt, making her shiver. Eventually, and all too soon, he pulled away, his breathing erratic, his chest moving rapidly up and down beneath his shirt.

"Last night, I could not sleep due to looking at you beside me," he admitted, "I'm sorry I could not tell you about Louis,"

She shrugged before slipping from the work surface and stepping away from him, feeling vulnerable under his watchful eyes, "All of this," she admitted, "It's so hard to see right from wrong, that I can understand."

She sat by Sophia's bedside, the young woman have woken up from sleep, her previously dislocated shoulder turning a startling shade of green, "Have you heard from Louis or Charlie?" She asked Connie, who looked up and shook her head,

"No, I presume they'll still be on their way back home,"

Sophia looked up to see Alex standing in the doorway, "You must have other patients Alex," Connie commented, trying so hard to ignore the way his eyes looked at her,

"Sophia, do you think you can leave in ten minutes?" He asked, watching as Connie nodded,

"Yes," she replied simply, "I just need to know where Christian is…"

"Are we hiding you from anyone else?" Connie asked, watching as Alex pause and listened before he pulled on his coat,

"No…" Sophia admitted quietly, "Just him… you don't have to help me Connie… I mean, I am very grateful, but…"

"Come on," Connie smiled, ushering her out of the hospital, the two women following Alex. She opened the door for Sophia, who got slowly into the car. Connie nodded before closing the door and walking around, sitting into the passenger seat.

They stopped outside the apartment; Alex looked up into the interior mirror at Sophia, who smiled gently at him,

"I have more pain relief inside," he told her, before his eyes flickered across Connie who slept soundly in the passenger seat,

"She is very beautiful," Sophia smiled, "I think you like her,"

Alex shrugged, "She is very beautiful." He handed Sophia the keys, "Let yourself in and put on the kettle… I will wake her,"

"You hurt her you know," Sophia told him, "I know why you were doing what you did… but she does not understand, I could see it in her eyes that you hurt her,"

He nodded, "I know, I know. I did not mean to hurt her Sophia,"

He watched the sleeping surgeon for a moment, before opening the car door and crouching down in front of her. "Connie," he whispered, shaking her gently, watching as she opened her eyes,

"Sorry," she uttered, "Have I been asleep the whole way?"

"Pretty much," he replied, "We're here… come on,"

"Sophia…" She uttered, watching as he looked up at the house, "Gone in to make coffee,"

She reached out and ran her fingertips across his cheek bones, "You don't have to stay with us, we'll be okay here,"

He caught her fingertips in his own and pressed his lips against her slender fingers, "Connie, you don't even know where we are… I will not leave you two here alone,"

Sophia had long gone up to bed; Connie wondering when was the last time that the girl had slept. Alex sat with the television on quietly, the fire flickering in the background. "Come and sit down Connie," he told her gently, wanting to know more about the beautiful English surgeon that seemed to come from an entirely different world than his own,

"Charlie thinks that Christian is dead," she told him, sitting on the sofa, but not quite as close as she wanted too,

"What?" He uttered, turning to face her, "Why would he think that?"

"Car crash," were her words of choice and he looked at her, reaching out his hand, "You have blood all over you," he told her gently, "Let me wash your top before it stains,"

She exhaled, god she felt tired, "Come," he told her, leading her through into the kitchen and watching as she removed her shirt. He took a clean one from his bag and handed it to her, as she realised her strap top was also covered in Louis's blood.

She slipped up onto the work surface as he put her clothes into the washing machine,

"Forgive me Connie but I want to take you to bed," he told her, his accent making her shiver,


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to those who read / follow / reply to this** **Hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Here's part three! Love Kendal-Rose xx**

She shook her head, "No… Alex… I can't… I…"

He nodded, "I understand… I think," he sighed, "You think that I am not who you thought I was last night, I understand…"

She shook her head, her hands surrounding the cup of tea, "I can't quite think straight," she admitted, "Things are already complicated enough,"

He nodded, unable to hide the disappointment that he felt,

"I can go," she nodded, "If you promise to look after Sophia tonight I can go…"

He shook his head, "Stay here, you can have my bed, I will take the spare room… I just want to say something, if I may,"

She sipped her tea, her dark eyes looking at him closely before she nodded,

"You are stronger and far more interesting than any other woman I have ever met," he told her honestly, "When you said I do not know anything about you… in some respects you are correct." He took the tea from her hands and placed it on the side, before holding both her hands in his own gently, "I do not know about your history… or your life… but I know that you are a good person, I know that your soul is good…"

He pressed his lips against her cheek gently, "I know that things have not been easy for you for a long time…but despite how tired you are and how tough things have been… you are incredibly beautiful."

She exhaled, "I need to go to bed," she spoke quietly, watching him as he nodded, "I will show you the way."

He couldn't sleep that night, an hour later he lay, wide awake thinking of the woman who lay in the room next to his own. He thought about last night, about how she looked, how she felt, the noises she'd made as she'd kissed him. Damn her, he thought. Damn this English woman who came out of nowhere who had taken over his every thought.

She sighed and sat up on the edge of the bed. She could smell his aftershave on the pillow, and she couldn't help but think about the previous night. She had only known this man for two days, but she felt something for him that she couldn't quite place.


	4. Chapter 4

"So it's not just me who can't sleep?" She asked, standing in the doorway of his living room, dressed only in his shirt and her underwear beneath.

"Apparently not," he half smiled, watching as she walked into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water,

"Connie…" he began as she walked up the stairs, his eyes following her as she turned around,

"Alex," she smiled, watching as he stood up,

"I…" he begun, lost for words, "I…"

She smiled, "What…"

"Stay there," he told her, standing up and walking over to where she stood. He took her hands in his own gently, "I do not know what it is that you want," he told her, "But I want more than sex," he shrugged, "Although if you want sex and nothing more, I can do that for you,"

She laughed and raised an eyebrow, "Very clever Alex,"

He pressed his lips against each of her cheeks gently, before nudging her nose with his own,

"The thought of you lying in that underwear, in the bedroom beside me, is driving me to distraction," he uttered,

She couldn't help the smile that graced her lips and against her own judgement she let her hands slip up his chest, before resting them on his shoulders, "Don't make me regret this," she uttered, stepping closer to him as his hands slipped around her waist and beneath the shirt,

His lips pressed firmly against her mouth and she felt herself give more to him than she wanted too. At that moment, stood so closely to the handsome Romanian, she knew she couldn't say no even if she wanted too.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few hours were filled with hot kisses on warm skin. He couldn't get enough of her, and if she was honest, she herself couldn't complain. He whispered to her throughout, his words lighting a fire within her, she thought had been extinguished long ago. She lay within his arms in the early hours of the morning, her mind full of everything that had happened in the last few days.

"What are you thinking Connie?" he asked, wrapping his arm around her slender waist as he lay behind her, his lips tickling her ear, her hair,

"All sorts," she admitted, "I'm so tired, but my brain won't switch off,"

"Why don't you stay? For a week or so… help me out here… give yourself a break from whatever's been troubling you at home,"

"You make it sound so easy,"

He took her hand in his, "It doesn't always have to be so hard."

She stood in green scrubs what were at least two sizes too big, her feet in shoes that Alex had found god only knew where. "The valve is in place," she nodded, stepping back for Alex to see what she'd managed to accomplish,

"I want two units of blood to run through before I close,"

"You are unbelievable," he admitted, as two of the junior doctors stood before them surprised at what the English surgeon had achieved,

She winked at him, "Practise," she smiled, "Although the lighting in here is terrible,"

"Tell me about it," he smiled, his eyes dancing as he looked at her, "Will you let me take you to dinner tonight?"

She noticed the junior doctors watching them eagerly, "What do you think?" Connie winked at the doctors who watched her, "Should I trust him?"

Alex couldn't help but smile as the younger doctors nodded, "Yes," they spoke almost simultaneously, "Go for dinner with him."

"You have a daughter?" he asked her at dinner that night, as he topped up her glass with wine,

She nodded, "I do… her name is Grace… she's living in America at the moment with her father," she admitted,

"That's a long way away," he admitted, taking her hand and slipping his fingers in-between her own,

"I put work first," she admitted, "I shall never forgive myself for that,"

"You are an amazing doctor," he told her, "And the way you spoke to Grace earlier shows me you love her very much,"

She exhaled, "Can I tell you something…"

"Anything," he replied, seemingly without thinking about it.

He held her hand tightly as she told him about Alfred and the trial. She told him about Rita, and the time she'd spent in a jail cell, the time it had given her to re-evaluate her life. "I wish you didn't have to go back home," he told her honestly, "I like spending time with you and watching you work… I like having you in my bed after a hard day at work,"

"We come from different worlds," she told him, tears filling her eyes for a reason she was somewhat unsure of, "And I think we will only end up disappointing each other."


End file.
